Cable comes home

When Notre Dames comes to town Jan. 23 to take on the University of Pittsburgh, a contingent of young women from Mt. Lebanon will be on hand to cheer on one of its own.

“Yes,” said Mt. Lebanon basketball coach Dori Oldaker enthusiastically, “our team and coaching staff are going to the game.”

See, former Blue Devil Madison Cable comes home. She leads the Fighting Irish as they battle the Panthers at 7 p.m. in a Big East women’s basketball game. Notre Dame (16-1) is ranked No. 2.

After missing her freshman season due to stress fractures in both feet, the daughter of Suzie and Dale Cable has contributed to the Fighting Irish’s success. The 5-11 sophomore guard has played in 15 games, starting twice. She averages 4.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists while racking up 11 steals.

Defense is what the coaching staff loves about Cable. Plus, she practices hard.

Those attributes endeared Cable to her scholastic coach Dori Oldaker.

“Madison is all about the team and her coaching staff loves that and the way she plays defense. Madison always puts the team first before herself.

“Madison always practiced hard,” Oldaker emphasized. “She never took a practice off. She brought the best out in her teammates. She wanted to win so bad.”

At Mt. Lebanon, Cable won often. She helped the Blue Devils to a combined 114-14 record, complete with four state championship appearances.

With Cable at the helm, Lebo became the first girls’ Quad-A club to capture three consecutive state championships. As a sophomore, her club posted a perfect, 31-0, record, complete with a WPIAL title.

A three-time Almanac Most Valuable Player and 2011 Female Athlete of the Year, Cable maintained career per-game statistical averages of 12.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.4 steals. She scored 1,571 career points.

“Madison is the ultimate competitor,” said Oldaker. “She is self motivated. She has a winning personality that carries over to the game of basketball.

“It’s not about her though,” Oldaker continued. “She is a total team player. Extremely unselfish.”

According to her coaching staff, Cable is a versatile wing player who is hungry to make an impact, particularly after she missed her rookie season due to injuries. Capable of playing either back-court position as well as the wing, Cable’s basketball IQ is a plus say her coaches. A fundamentally-sound athlete, she “picks up strategy and new concepts quickly” they say. In addition, Cable has a solid perimeter shooting eye and is creative off the dribble. “She handles the ball well with either hand and she is not afraid to attack the rim and get to the foul line. She also battles fearlessly against taller players in the paint.”

Cable, who has two older sisters, Kassie and Jourdan, is enrolled in Notre Dame’s College of Arts and Letters.